This dissertation is comprised of three independently conducted analyses of a larger investigation into the practices and features of specialized STEM high schools. While educators and policy makers advocate the development of many new specialized STEM high schools, little is known about the unique features and practices of these schools. The…

Online discussion forums have become popular in recent times. They provide a platform for people from different parts of the world sharing a common interest to come together and topics of mutual interest and seek solutions to their problems. There are hundreds of thousands of internet forums containing tens of millions of discussion threads and…

The purpose of this study was to analyze the perceptions of teachers about traditional teaching and teaching with technology in the classroom. The study focused primarily on teachers' perceptions about teaching strategies such as lecture, whole group discussion, drill and practice, and teaching with technology. The quantitative research design was…

This action research study was conducted in an elementary school with a team of seven fourth- grade teachers. Transcripts of the fourth-grade teachers' discussions during their common planning sessions were recorded and analyzed. The data revealed that during collaborative planning sessions the teachers repeatedly referred to authentic…

Recent policy initiatives indicate that students should develop expertise in constructing viable arguments, engage in meaningful mathematical tasks, and strategically use appropriate tools, including technology. However, little research has been conducted that specifically examines the interplay between these three activities. The purpose of this…

To challenge students' reasoning and to align with a physical fitness unit that students were studying, teachers and authors, Scott Frye and Signe Kastberg adapted a ratio comparison problem from Susan Lamon, "Ratio and Proportion: Connecting Content and Children's Thinking," (1994) to include athletes and doctors who share…

When patients need information, they may visit a doctor, ask a nurse, or look online. But these are not the only sources of information used by patients. This paper examines discussion threads in online renal support groups to describe how people living with kidney failure conceive of help, information and support. I use Actor Network Theory to…

Children are innately creative, and the youngest often are the most original because they have yet to be influenced by the creativity of others. One way to think of creative expression is as a continuum. At one end is originality, or the creation of something wholly new, "original." At the other end is replication, or the re-creation of something…

This study explored the topic of middle school students and their instructional reading environment. As students progress through school, there is a decrease in the amount of time spent reading for pleasure. Overall, students' attitudes toward reading and motivation to read decline as they get older due to a complex mix of factors including…

This article reports on the views of seven Asian female Social Science students following a class seminar on religious issues and schooling at a university in the UK. It explores the importance of the post-class spontaneous student dialogue where participation in much teaching and learning is voluntary. The concern is with engaged pedagogy and…

In a culture of comprehensive school reform, which focuses primarily on improving student achievement, teachers must critically analyze educational research and student data to make professional judgments regarding student achievement. Establishing professional learning communities is one form of professional development (PD) that is proven to…

Can youth sports build character? Research suggests that the answer to this question leads to 2 further questions: (1) can youth sport coaches be effectively prepared to become character educators, and (2) can character education take place in today's competitive youth sport environment? (Bredemeier & Shields, 2006; Power, 2015; Power &…

This paper explores the relationship between the teaching of history (the academic study of the past) and the teaching of heritage (meaningful stories tying people to a collective past). The research was conducted in a Jewish high school whose explicit mission involves teaching history through a US history course and heritage through an Israeli…

This study investigated the role of EFL teachers' classroom discipline strategies in their teaching effectiveness and their students' motivation and achievement in learning English as a foreign language. 1408 junior high-school students expressed their perceptions of the strategies their English teachers used (punishment, recognition/reward,…

Many general education educators have little pre-service preparation or in-service professional development for teaching students who are English language learners (ELL). Yet, ELLs are one of the fastest growing student populations in the United States. While teachers typically espouse the view that all students can learn, they do not often have…